Acceptance
by DarkFoxKit
Summary: Danny begins to believe that his ghost form may have its own free will and decides to set it free with the Ghost Catcher, but does Phantom truly want to be separated from Danny?


_**Key2DestNE: **_***The camera turns on to reveal him and a dark fox's kit next to him. He waves, grinning.* Hey everybody~ I'll bet you guys didn't expect me to be helping Fox with a one-shot- especially for Danny Phantom, right?**

_**DarkFoxKit:**_** Probably not. This is more or less kind of a practice collab story for the big one later on. I won't say what it is to keep you guys in the dark, though~**

_**Key2DestNE: **_***chuckles* Well, it's still a great one-shot! It may seem a little long, but I hope you all enjoy! *leans in and whispers to the camera:* I actually had to convince her to **_**shorten**_** the madness that occurred in this one-shot, otherwise it'd have been more like **_**two**_** chapters! *laughs***

_**DarkFoxKit:**_** Well it would've been funnier that way! *huffs, crossing her paws* Honestly, if this wasn't a one-shot I would've done a lot more than what we have now! Ugh, so many ideas, but so little time and space to do them!**

_**Key2DestNE: **_**Well, that's a one-shot for you! And speaking of which, we'd better let them get to the actual STORY, Kitty~ *laughs***

_**DarkFoxKit:**_** o-e You've been talking to ANDY again, haven't you!?**

_**Key2DestNE: **_***whistling innocently* Maaaaaaybe~ So what, huh~? It's funny~!**

_**DarkFoxKit:**_** COME HERE YOU LITTLE- *The screen went static as she chases Key, bumping into the camera.***

* * *

**Acceptance**

Danny flew around Amity Park, it's been a week since he worked with Clockwork and managed to avoid a Nasty Burger explosion. The young halfa flew down to the park and sighed as he sat on the bench by himself. _Sometimes I wonder… does my ghost half have a mind of its own? Did… did Phantom exist before and I accidentally fused with him when I turned on the Fenton Portal? … After I fought with my jerky future self, it's almost like there's a possibility that Phantom may have his own free will… and he just can't do anything because I'm the one keeping him from doing anything._

Someone sat beside him, and he looked over to see it was Jazz, his sister. "Jazz?" just recently he found out she knew his secret when she told him after the whole incident.

The halfa's sister gave him a small smile, hugging him with one arm. "Hey, Danny… What's wrong? You've been acting kind of spacy lately…. You would normally see me without any problem, before I even sat down in fact."

Danny sighed and slowly said, glancing down, "It's just… I've been thinking… Sam always said how every creature deserves freedom… And lately I've been thinking that… well… Phantom and I have been separated before… and it shows he can clearly think for himself, right? So… does that mean Phantom is a separate entity from me?"

Jazz frowned in thought before giving a small shrug, smiling. "Well… why don't you ask him? The Fenton Ghost Catcher still works… And if he isn't, you can always re-fuse with him."

The halfa blinked before he smiled, slowly nodding. "You know Jazz, that's probably a good idea. Thanks." He hugged her, before flying off, heading back home as fast as he could.

The young halfa quickly phased himself into the lab and walked up to the Fenton Ghost Catcher. "Alright… here goes." He was careful to go into the middle this time, since if he went to Side 1 he'd literally split himself in half like before and he didn't want that, Danny just wanted to expunge the ghost from his body. The boy flew through the Ghost Catcher and Phantom came flying out of his body. "Whoa!" He fell to the ground before grinning up at Phantom.

"W-wha…?" The ghost blinked slowly, touching his torso and his arms with what seemed like wonder. "Why am I…?" He looked down, finally noticing Danny. "...Danny? Why… did _you_ take me out of our body?"

Danny looked up at him and smiled, quickly standing up. "Hey, uh, Phantom! So tell me… have you been a separate entity from me since before our fusion together?"

Phantom blinked slowly, surprised. "...Wait… what? You're… asking me this _now_?" He flew down, forming legs with ease. "Why now? I'm… not really sure what's going on."

Danny pointed at him, grinning confidently. "Ah-ha! So that proves you must have a separate mind from mine! How else could you not be sure what's going on?"

The ghost blinked again, startled. "...Because I'm usually focusing on flying and keeping our powers in check! I'm… I'm like your subconscious- I'm always busy, I don't have time to know what you're thinking at that moment!"

The former halfa human nodded, beginning to pace. "Ah, so you've been forced to the back of my subconscious, enslaved and forced to be on constant watch of my mind. That's… not an easy life. Listen, I'm really sorry… And what were you doing before the whole accident occurred?"

Phantom blinked yet again, still lost. "...Wait, what? Danny, I… didn't _exist_ before the accident! The only reason I can really think is due to the last time… And even then, it's vague at best. You… think your mind _enslaved_ me? That's not true at all!"

Danny crossed his arms, frowning. "So you're still able to think for yourself, right?" he pressed, continuing to move forward- all he needed was a confirmation before he makes his decision.

"...Sort of…? I mean, it's… not really _thinking for myself_… but… um…" Phantom raised an eyebrow, leaning back. "This… is a little too close, Danny. You're _right_ in my face- can we just merge again, please?"

"Why?" Danny asked his ghost version, frowning in confusion. "Why do you want to fuse again when all you have to look forward to is patrolling a messed up teenager's mind, hmm?"

Phantom frowned, growing even more worried. "Because it's why I was made, Danny! Besides, I don't see what the issue is- I AM you… Well, normally, at least. So why SHOULDN'T we be fused together?"

Danny shook his head, quickly pushing the ghost back. "No, you're not me, not anymore. Phantom, I've decided that maybe it's for the best if I set you free. Live your own afterlife, you're your own person- uh, ghost now. So forget about me, you don't have to worry about me anymore, just go out there and be free."

Phantom slowly shook his head, beginning to panic. "I-I… I don't WANT to forget about you, Danny! I-I AM you, why are you pushing me away!?" He started to walk towards Danny, holding an arm out. "We're… meant to be _together_, not apart. I only accepted that one time because you wanted us to do a separate job so much that I didn't _want_ to say no."

"No… That time I literally split my mind in half. This time, I'm all here and you're all there. Okay Phantom, you really should go before my parents get here." Danny said, backing away from his ghost version.

Phantom continued to walk forward though, ignoring Danny's warning. "Then we'd better fuse back together, quickly! C'mon, what's the problem!? It'll just be quick and everything will be back to normal!"

The human boy shook his head, frowning in concern. _Why is he so insistent on fusing back? I'm trying to give him freedom! … Maybe he's not used to this kind of freedom, he's not used to being free. That's it, I'll just have to keep avoiding him until he gets used to it!_ With that thought in mind, the former halfa boy quickly made a break for it towards the stairs.

Phantom's eyes widened, and he hastily followed, flying through the floor. "D-Danny, stop!" He quickly blocked the boy's way, growing a little annoyed. "Why are you running!? C'mon, it'll take a minute or two!"

"No Phantom! I don't want us to fuse back together! You're free now and I'm going to keep it that way!" Danny snapped as he ran down another route. _It's not going to be easy to outrun a ghost. I'm going to have to get some portal Ghost Shields and the Fenton Bazooka to send him back to the Ghost Zone to buy myself some time._

Phantom followed him, trying to keep up. "Danny, I don't WANT to be free! G-get back here, already!"

Danny grabbed the mini Ghost Shield, it has enough power for only an hour. He opened the Ghost Portal and stood in front of it. "You want me, Phantom? Come and get me then!"

The ghost blinked, but he frowned, quickly rushing towards Danny. "F-fine, I'm glad you saw sense!" Then his eyes widened, seeing Danny dodge him as he entered the Ghost Zone. "Wha- no!" He turned around, but bounced off of the portable Ghost Shield. "NO! DANNY, STOP THIS!"

Danny sighed in relief, wiping the sweat from his brow. "This should keep him there for a while until he decides to be truly free. I'm going to miss my ghost powers, but… this is for the best." he said to himself as he exit the lab, not knowing what he had just set up.

Phantom continued to bang on the Ghost Shield, trying to break it down. "DANNY! DANNY, LET ME BACK IN!" As he pounded on the Shield, he started to cry, sliding to the ground. "L-let me in… Please…!" He continued to sob, curling up into a ball.

For a while, Phantom sat on a piece of floating land, crying to himself. He was confused and hurt- why would his human half reject him for? No… he knew why… Danny wanted to set him free… but… "I'm not an animal… I am a part of you, Danny… why can't you see that?" Phantom said to himself, and then he eventually said, "Danny… I don't care what your intention is, but I won't allow us to be separated." He glared as he stood up, his eyes glowing green in anger as another ghost was coming at him.

"Oooh, fresh ghost." the ghost said as it charged at him, but Phantom stood up and blasted the ghost away with ease. "OW!" It landed with a grunt, before looking up at him in fear. "W-what the…?"

The 'new' ghost glared down at it, charging up an ecto ray. "I am giving you five seconds to run, before I blast you to bits." The 'older' ghost's eyes widened, and he scrambled to fly away, but Danny fired at it as he continued. "Too bad I used your time explaining it." The 'older' ghost whimpered as it turned itself invisible and quickly tried to fly away before Phantom grabbed it by the throat and began to bash it's head into the platform.

Meanwhile, Danny was playing some video games in the living room when he got a call from Sam. "What is it?"

"Danny, where are you? There's a ghost attacking the streets!" Sam's voice yelled at him, sounding a little out of breath.

"Oh, sorry Sam. It's just I followed your example and set my ghost half free. I'll be there soon, just let me get my Fenton Thermos and-"

"YOU _WHAT_!?" Sam shouted, interrupting him. "DANNY, ARE YOU _NUTS_!? YOU'RE THE ONLY PERSON WHO CAN _FIGHT_ GHOSTS! WHY DID YOU-!?"

Danny interrupted her, frowning. "SAM! LISTEN TO ME! Look, it was _you_ who told me that every creature that has a mind of its own deserves freedom. Phantom has his own mind, so I set him free. It was the least I can do after I forced him to use his powers for my own gain. Besides, I don't _need_ to be half ghost to fight with ghosts, okay?"

"..." Sam growled out, "Danny, Phantom IS you, you idiot. We'll try to fight this ghost off as long as we can- but you need to go out there, find your Phantom, AND FUSE WITH HIM AGAIN! Got it!?"

Danny glared into the phone, shouting back, "I'll be there with the Fenton Thermos, but I'm NOT fusing with Phantom again!" He hung up before she could reply, standing up as he rolled his eyes. "She just don't get it… And here I thought she of all people _would_." He sighed to himself before going back to the lab to pick up the thermos.

As he glanced over to the portal, he froze, seeing the shield literally _shattered_; pieces of energy were on the ground and fizzling out, so it had probably just happened. _W-what the heck…? How did he…? The Ghost Shield can withstand a LOT of attacks, why did it break so easily!? …_ That's when something occurred to him. _The Ghostly Wail! Of course! How could I have forgotten that the Ghostly Wail is strong enough to shatter any Ghost Shield!? Uh-oh… W-where is he?_

Danny looked around the lab, but didn't see a trace of his ghost self, so he quickly picked up the thermos and hurried out the lab. "O-okay, just calm down. Maybe he's finally enjoying himself out there in the world… y-yeah…" he said, trying to convince himself.

Then he froze, feeling a chill run up his spine. "..." He slowly turned and saw Phantom, who looked absolutely FURIOUS. "... Uh… hi?" Danny said awkwardly to his angry ghost self. "W-what's… uh… up?" The human boy quickly began backing away from the angry Phantom, gulping.

"What's _up_?" Phantom twitched, smiling thinly. "Oh, I'll tell you what's _up_, Danny… You're going to _let me back into you_, we are going to _fuse_! ...Or _you'll_ be the one who's up… Up in space, that is- you always wanted that, _didn't_ you?"

"H-hey… wh-why don't you calm down? L-look, this isn't so bad, right? When we're fused you don't have any s-say in the matter. B-but look, y-you can g-go and fly and do whatever y-you want." Danny said nervously, backed up against the wall.

Phantom's eyes narrowed, and he slammed a hand into the wall next to Danny's head. The boy eeped timidly, trying to inch away from the hand. "Ooooh, I get it; you reject me, you don't want to accept me as a part of you, is that it?"

Danny gulped and nervously said, "W-what would give you that idea? I-I just think m-maybe I should set you f-free." _I gotta find a way out of here!_

Phantom smirked, leaning up right into Danny's face. "Well, _Danny_, I don't think you'll have a choice in the matter. You said so yourself- I have a _choice_ now." With that, he grabbed the boy's collar. "So we are going to _fuse_, and fuse_ permanently_- got it!?"

"Fuse… permanently? I don't understand." Danny frowned, trying to squirm away. "I mean I could always get you out with the Ghost Catcher you know!"

The ghost nodded, grinning darkly. "Which is why you're going to _destroy _it, Danny. Do you hear me? _DESTROY IT_."

"... I think you need a few hours to cool down." Without warning, Danny opened the Fenton Thermos and sucked Phantom into it. "Whew… that should buy me some time until I can find a safer place to release him. Until then, I need to hurry and get to Tucker and Sam." The boy ran out of the house, got on his Modpad, and headed down the streets, not noticing the Fenton Thermos shaking.

Soon, Danny saw Sam and Tucker fighting with the giant meat monster, the Lunch Lady again. "Oh come on, how does she keep finding the meat restaurants? How many meat can be in Amity Park anyway?" He grumbled, pulling out the Fenton Bazooka. "Oh, whatever, I'll- AH!" He yelped, covering his eyes as the Fenton Thermos EXPLODED! When his vision cleared, Phantom was in front of him, growling in anger.

"Danny?" Sam and Tucker yelled, looking back over to him and noticing Phantom.

"Hey, is that his ghost form!?" Tucker yelled in shock.

"Yeah, apparently he separated himself from Phantom to 'release' him, but I don't think Phantom is too happy about it." Sam said, smirking and knowing that she was right.

"WHAT!? How did you escape the Thermos? Not even the evil Dan was able to break out of there!" Danny yelled at his ghost self in shock and confusion.

The ghost version just narrowed his eyes, furious, before he glanced at the Lunch Lady. "..." Wordlessly, he used his Ghostly Wail, sending her FLYING, before turning back to Danny and picking him up. "Danny, Danny, Danny…" He gave an angry smirk, tightening his grip. "I'm YOU- I know exactly how it was made… And so I know how to _escape_ it, too."

"So was Dan!" Danny snapped back, struggling from the ghost's iron grip. "That still doesn't make any sense! Besides, Jazz captured me a few times and- … Oooh… I see now."

The ghost nodded, smirking. "You- _we_- were panicking when she captured us. And Dan? He was too furious to remember how to _escape_ the Fenton Thermos."

"And apparently so are you! TUCKER! SAM! DO SOMETHING!" Danny shouted to his friends below them. Then he paused… before looking down at his dangling feet. "...NO! NO, _DON'T_ DO ANYTHING!"

"Danny, what is going on? Why is Phantom angry with you?" Tucker called up, frowning in confusion.

"I don't know! Apparently he doesn't want to be set free!" Danny yelled back, freezing up in fear of falling.

The ghost narrowed his eyes dangerously, shaking the poor human. "SET ME FREE!? _YOU SPLIT ME IN TWO!_"

"LET GO OF MY SON!" Danny's mom suddenly yelled, and she shot at Phantom, causing him to let go of Danny, who fell into the nice cushion of the Fenton RV.

"Mom! Dad! Am I glad to see you! … Now get us out of here!" Danny yelled, gesturing frantically.

"Are you kidding? We want to capture Phantom!" Jack said, rolling his eyes. "And you were blocking our shot!"

"No! Don't capture him, just get out of here, he's too powerful right now!" Danny yelled at them.

Phantom's eye twitched as he growled in pure fury, phasing into the Fenton RV invisibly and overshadowing Maddie. He squashed down her consciousness and shook her head. "No, Danny! You're staying right here with me- Jack will go and find the Phantom, he seems to have gone invisible for the moment!"

Danny frowned, but he couldn't see Phantom's green eyes since Maddie had her mask and goggles on. "But Mom we have to get out of here!"

"That's a great idea honey!" Jack said as he grabbed the door and ran out, not seeing his wife's evil smirk.

"Ow! Mom, your grip is hurting my arm, you can let go now!" Danny said, wincing in pain from her suddenly tight grip on his wrist.

Maddie turned around and pulled off the mask and goggles, smirking. "Well, too bad I'm not letting you go, huh?" She pulled Danny up to her face, growling out, "Fuse. With. Me. Or I'm going to kill your mother- you got that?!"

Danny grew pale at that, and he frantically shook his head* "What? No! You wouldn't! Y-you couldn't!" Danny looked around the RV, trying to find some kind of invention to exorcise ghosts from the body.

Maddie smirked darkly, still having a tight grip on the boy's wrists with one hand. "Ohoho, I _would_, Danny- it's the only way you'll let me stay in you… And it _will_ work now won't it~? You don't want your own mother to die because of you, right?"

Danny gritted his teeth, he knew he had to think of something fast! He saw a small ray gun… That should work. The boy kicked his mother's body in the gut, sending her back. "Sorry Mom! It's for your own good!" Danny grabbed the gun and shot at her, but it only went through her and hit Phantom, forcing him out. "Mom! Dad! Both of you need to get out of here, NOW!" _If Phantom wants me so bad, he'll have to catch me!_

Maddie blinked, completely bewildered. "D-Danny? What's- what's going on, what do you mean? One second we caught you here, the next… What just happened?"

"I'll explain later Mom, but you and Dad have to get out of here. You're in danger!" Danny grabbed a small ray gun, a flashlight and ran out of the van, Phantom chasing after him.

The boy didn't stop or look back, not even when his friends or family were calling out to him; he kept going until he literally crashed into Jazz! "Ow! … Jazz?" He blinked slowly, glancing up at her in confusion. "What are you…?"

The boy's sister frowned, quickly helping him to his feet. "Danny, what did you do!?" She looked at him sternly, crossing her arms.

"What? All I did was release Phantom from his confinement to me, but he keeps insisting we fuse back together! Doesn't he realize he'll just be trapped in my mind again? I don't want that Jazz!" Danny yelled, crossing his arms stubbornly.

Jazz frowned, shaking her head as she grabbed him by his shoulders and began shaking him. "Did he say he WANTED that, though!? Danny, _did_ _he_? Tell me the truth, bro!"

Danny's eyes were rolling from her shaking him, and he shakily said, "S-s-stop s-s-s-shaking m-m-m-me!" When she finally did, Danny answered nervously, "W-well… n-no, but he's just not used to it yet, Jazz! He can think for himself, so he shouldn't be forced to be confined! He's like a soul that's chained to his own shell! Do you know how horrible that is?"

Jazz frowned, looking at him in disappointment. "No, I don't… but Danny… Do you know how horrible being _forced apart_ is?" Danny blinked, about to speak up, but she interrupted him. "No? How about being forced to stay away from what you want to do? How would you feel if you were forced to move away from all of us and live with someone you hate? _Well_, Danny?"

"But it's not like that! I'm not forcing him to live with someone he hates or to stay away from what he loves! I just-" Danny started to snap, losing his already stressed temper, before Jazz interrupted him again with a slap.

She had a few tears in her eyes, but she took a deep breath. "D-Danny… You did much worse than that- _you took him away from himself_. You're… you're being selfish. Who says he doesn't love being a part of you? YOU are… Not him. If he truly does have free will… you shouldn't stop him. If he doesn't… you shouldn't be having this issue, now should you?" She said all this without not meeting his eyes, trying to keep calm.

Danny put a hand up over the cheek she smacked and stared at her in hurt and shock. His jaw moved for a moment, unable to find any words. "...I-I… but…" What_ could _he say to that?

"Danny… come talk to me after you've come to your senses." Jazz said with disappointment in her tone since he still refused to listen. And with that she left him to his thoughts.

Danny frowned and shook his head before glaring angrily, "What does SHE know? Phantom _isn't_ me… he never was!" He stormed up an empty hill, leading up to an old and abandon house. Despite his words, though… He thought about that last bit she said. _… "If he truly does have free will… you shouldn't stop him. If he doesn't… you shouldn't be having this issue, now should you?" … What does that even mean?_

Confused and hurt, Danny absentmindedly put his hand on the gates of the old and abandon house, briefly wondering to himself if ghosts or insects or vermin in general like to stay in there just because it's an ideal place for creatures like them. He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice a certain spirit was floating behind him. _I guess nobody really understands… why I'm doing this… But… Jazz is a psychologist- she should understand… Why is she siding with _him_? Is setting a caged bird free into the world really that cruel?_

His thoughts were cut off as he was suddenly grabbed from behind and forced up to the wall! "Gotcha…" a voice whispered in his ear, sounding quite furious. "So, you really think that doing this alone was a smart move, huh? Well… guess what, Danny… I may not _need_ the Ghost Portal to fuse us back together. All I need… is you… and me… And look at that- you're _all alone_. Nobody to stop this…" Phantom laughed from behind him, a cold bitter laugh. "It looks like you- AGH!"

Danny suddenly flashed the flashlight right into the ghost's eyes, temporarily blinding him and letting him go. The boy quickly opened the old and rusted gates and hurried into the house, going inside with his flashlight still on. _How can I find my answer? Jazz won't talk to me… Sam and Tucker will just side with her, my parents don't have a clue… I'm alone…_ Danny shook his head, trying to focus. _No, focus- I need to hide, NOW!_

"_Why?" _a voice said from within him. _"Why ARE we the only one sure this is right? Why is everyone against us? Is it possible… that WE'RE wrong? That we're not making the right choice?"_

The human boy crawled under an old and dusty piano, frowning. _But I'm doing it with the best of intentions! Phantom has free will, he can take care of himself! I don't see why he would_ want _to stay trapped in me, it just doesn't make any sense!_

"_What was that old phrase again? Mr. Lancer said it once… Oh, right- the road to hell is paved with good intentions." _Danny cringed, remembering that phrase. _"Sure… we _think_ it's the right decision- but… is it? If it is, then why is everyone against us? Sam, who's all for animal rights, is against it, Tucker, who knows about Phantom, is against it- even Jazz, the _psychologist_ and the one who suggested it, is against it! So… why_ are_ we for it?"_

… _Maybe… maybe I'm asking the wrong people. They don't understand what it's like confining a free spirit… Maybe… Maybe I should ask Vlad, he's a halfa too!_ Danny's hair was getting a little more messy than usual, and his pupils were shrinking a bit.

"_He's in another state, Danny- we can't run from Phantom forever… Besides, what would you do if you have to sleep? You wouldn't be able to escape from him then."_

_I'll find a way! … Wait… why am I arguing with myself!?_ Danny shook his head vigorously to get the 'voice in his head' to shut up. He looked around, trying to keep an eye out for Phantom, before feeling a chill run up his spine.

"Boo…" Phantom whispered in his ear, before knocking the flashlight out of the boy's hand and pinning him to the ground. "You're NOT getting away- not again, you little monster! I'm fixing what you did, ONCE AND FOR ALL! Even if I have to- OW!"

Danny kicked Phantom in the gut and scrambled and ran; he had to get away some how! _How does he keep finding me!?_ Danny ran, but the old house was fragile and he fell into the floor! "OW!" He grabbed his stuck leg and ripped some of his pants and shoe off as he pulled it out. "Dang it!" He kept going though, ignoring some of the splinters on his ankle.

"DANNY, YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER!" Phantom cried, flying behind him. "I'm not going away, so stop trying! WE WILL BE TOGETHER!"

Despite the situation, Danny couldn't help but say, "Dude, do you know how WRONG that sounded?!"

"S-SHUT UP!" Phantom responded, a blush of embarrassment on his cheeks before he went intangible and flew into Danny, beginning to overshadow him. "We are heading BACK home AND FIXING THIS!"

Danny fought with Phantom to get him out of his body, but the ghost was too strong and overpowered his consciousness as Danny's eyes turned green, and he forced the body to fly out of the house, making a beeline towards Fenton Works.

In the darkness of his subconsciousness, Danny managed to 'wake up' and groan, sitting up. "Ugh… I feel like I've been run over by a truck… Phantom? Are you here?" He looked around, but didn't receive an answer before sighing. "No… I don't want to fuse back… not until I get some answers!" He slowly stood up, and began walking forward, trying to find a way to get to Phantom and force him out of his body so we can find some answers to his questions before he makes his final decision about this.

As he walked, though, he heard whispers of what sounded like thoughts… "No, don't make me…" "I don't wanna leave…" "I have to help everybody!" "Do… do I hate myself?" Soon, they became so loud, they practically pounded in his eardrums! "WHY COULD I SPLIT MYSELF LIKE THIS!?" "THIS ISN'T RIGHT! THIS IS NOT RIGHT!" "HOW COULD I!?"

Danny groaned and held his head, they were all practically screaming in his head so loudly that he fell to the ground, holding his poor head in agony. "STOP IT!" he screamed, and everything suddenly grew silent as the grave. "..." Unnerved by the sudden silence, the boy slowly stood up, and then he yelped, jumping back from the prone figure laying in front of him, curled up into a ball. "YAH! P-PHANTOM!?"

Phantom didn't seem to notice him, instead he seems to be mumbling to himself. Danny, unnerved by this sight, strained hard to hear what the ghost was saying to himself. "Gotta fix this… Gotta make everything right… I have to fix this… I don't want to be split in half… I want to be whole… Why…? Why…? Why…?"

Danny backed away from the sobbing Phantom. _… I've heard that ghosts will have obsessions… but… I didn't think Phantom's would be with ME! Ugh… this isn't healthy, even for a ghost! I have to keep avoiding him until I know for sure what I need to do! But… how do I get my body back before he forces us to fuse again? The only way I can see it is to force Phantom out… but he's too strong, how am I supposed to get him out? …Well… _He stared down at the curled up ball of a ghost, considering it. _He's… not exactly moving around… and this IS my body… I could probably think of something to force him out… right?_

The human boy carefully circled the curled up Phantom, he then gained his determination. _Alright… I'll just have to be quick, get him off his guard. All I have to do is tackle him out, he won't even know what hit him, then make a run for it like crazy!_ Danny backed away to get a good running start and he charged! Before Phantom even knew what was going on, he was tackled out of Danny's body, letting the human boy regain control of his body… In the lab- _just_ in time!

Danny didn't hesitate to bolt before Phantom growled angrily. Danny was about to run upstairs, but Phantom was faster and he blocked his way out. Danny turned and ran into the Ghost Zone without thinking! No protection and not in the Specter Speeder, he just jumped right on in! What was he THINKING!? He'd NEVER be able to outrun Phantom!

Danny found himself floating aimlessly in the Ghost Zone, this place had no gravity. _Okay… maybe jumping into the Ghost Zone with no protection whatsoever wasn't a good idea… But… I need to find Clockwork, NOW!_ Please _let me get there before Phantom gets to me!_ Danny was literally swimming in the air for his life, and if anyone was looking, it'd have been hilarious!.

Phantom flew into the Ghost Zone with ease, he was searching for his other half. Thankfully, Danny was able to cover himself thanks to all the ghosts flying in the area; they seem to ignore him, probably because they knew they couldn't touch him as a human. Of course… this only served to frustrate Phantom, and if he gets too frustrated, he may just make a very desperate move.

Eventually, though, Danny managed to get to Clockwork's tower, his hair and clothes a complete mess and his eyes twitching madly. He burst in, crying out at the top of his lungs, "CLOOOOOOOOOOCKWOOOOOOOOORK! HEEEEEEEELP! I'VE GOT A VERY ANGRY _GHOST_ ON MY TAIL!"

Thankfully, the human boy didn't have to wait long before Clockwork himself appeared before him. The ghost blinked a bit, looking at him before he finally said, "You split yourself up from your Phantom, didn't you." Danny blinked as well, slowly nodding. "He didn't _want_ to be split up, so he's chasing you, isn't he?"

"Yes, Clockwork, I know. But… I didn't come here to be lectured on how _wrong_ I was. I want to know… How can it be wrong to want to set him free? Maybe he doesn't want it, but isn't it for the best? He said himself; he's confirmed in my mind. I don't want that."

"... I get the feeling it's more than just that, Danny." Clockwork said, crossing his arms. "You seem uneasy with yourself."

"Huh?" Danny blinked, a little confused.

"Ever since you saw your future, you've been rather afraid of yourself and your ghost powers." Clockwork replied, turning into a child.

Danny blinked before frowning… He never really thought about it like that before, but… he knew Clockwork was right. "... W-well… maybe a little… but this isn't about _me_, it's about releasing Phantom!"

The time ghost shook his head, though. "No, Danny, it isn't… It's about _you_, and your fear of your powers. If Phantom was just a normal ghost, who couldn't give you normal powers… would you try to run away from him so much? Would you even consider forcing him out of you? Now be honest, I know what your heart is really saying."

Danny bit his lip and looked down, gulping worriedly. "... I guess… maybe… B-but I really did want to release Phantom too… I just found it unfair that he… Well, he was forced to… you know… be confined…"

Clockwork sighed and said, turning into an adult, "Danny… Maybe instead of trying so hard to run and fight with your ghost half, you should try talking to him."

"But he's beyond _insanity_ now! How can I talk to him without getting attacked!?" Danny shouted, not liking that idea at all.

The ghost smirked, pointing at him. "So are _you_. He may be 'separate', Danny… but he's extremely influenced by you- your emotions and your decisions. If you absolutely _need_ me to step in, I will… But I want you to _try_ and talk to him."

Danny frowned in thought before reluctantly speaking up. "... Clockwork, something that my sister Jazz said didn't make much sense to me… 'If he truly does have free will… you shouldn't stop him. If he doesn't… you shouldn't be having this issue, now should you?' …What did she mean by that?"

The time ghost chuckled, shaking his head. "She is wise, then… It means that according to your reasoning, Phantom has free will- but if he does… Why are you preventing him from making his own choice? Hmm?" Danny blinked, about to speak, before Clockwork interrupted him. "And if he _doesn't_, this shouldn't be an issue, since he would agree with you and just leave, if you yourself didn't take him back in."

Danny looked down before eventually looking up at the taller ghost. "... I… I want to talk to him."

Clockwork nodded, a small grin on his face. "Very well then, but you needn't to look for him, he's already here." He gestured behind the boy, chuckling.

"Wha- OOF!" Danny was suddenly pinned against the wall before he could speak. "H-hey!"

"I FINALLY FOUND YOU!" Phantom grinned madly, twitching occasionally. His hair was even more of a mess than Danny's, and even his teeth seemed to be affected; almost all of them were now crooked! "Now… time for us to finally fuse! AND YOU AREN'T STOPPING ME!"

Danny quickly held up a hand and stopped Phantom, taking a shuddering breath. "... Wait, please, wait. I want to talk to you."

Phantom narrowed his eyes, pressing Danny up even higher against the wall. "Were you just listening!? We're DONE talking! Because YOU WON'T LISTEN TO ME! The time for talking's OV-"

"PHANTOM! LISTEN TO ME BEFORE YOU MAKE THIS CHOICE!" Danny shouted, stunning the ghost. "... _Pleas_e!"

"..." Phantom narrowed his eyes, but he slowly nodded. "...Fine- talk. But you're _not_ talking me out of my choice, and if you blast me again-"

"I promise I won't! I just want to ask some questions." Danny said calmly, which in turn, started calming down Phantom a bit. Danny took notice of this and thought this strange until he remembered that Clockwork said his own emotions influence his ghost. "Could you… put me down first? It's kinda… hard to breathe… like this…"

The ghost slowly placed Danny back on the ground, but he still kept the boy pinned against the wall. "Alright… You're able to breathe. Now _what is it_?"

"Phantom… I want to know… Why do you not want to be free? Aren't you sick and tired of being confined within a weak little human boy?" Danny asked him, frowning in confusion.

The ghost blinked before growing angry again. "What!? YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T BEEN LISTENING TO A WORD I SAID THE ENTIRE TIME!?" he shouted, blowing back his human counterpart's hair. "ARE YOU _SERIOUS_!?"

"No, I heard you LOUD and CLEAR, Phantom! But I'm not asking for that answer! I'm asking why would you care about being 'whole' with a human being when you are a ghost and could do so much more on your own! You wouldn't have to worry about school or the authorities constantly weighing you down!"

The ghost facepalmed, muttering to himself, "So you _haven't_ listened…"

"Maybe not, I was too busy trying not to get hurt! But I'm listening now, so tell me." Danny said calmly.

Phantom sighed before looking the boy right in the eyes. "Danny, I AM YOU. You literally _made_ me in the accident- I wasn't anyone else, I WAS, and AM, YOU. So why would I want to be split from half of me? WHY would I want that? Gimme ONE good reason, Danny!"

"I've read that souls are not one with their flesh, they are completely separate. If you're my soul and I'm the flesh, then you can't say that you really are me. Besides… look at us! You have your own free will just like I have MY free will, so forgive me if that answer doesn't make any sense to me!" Danny snapped, irritated at hearing the "I AM YOU" answer _again_.

Phantom took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "Well, _Daniel_, I have my own 'free will' because you made me. That Ghost Catcher probably has a different effect on halfas- and frankly, I still consider us as one whole. You don't want me though… do you? You _hate _me." Suddenly, he looked away, trying to hold back the tears. "You… you think you're better without me…"

Danny looked at Phantom with a sad and regretful look and answered, "No, that's not it at all! It's just…"

"Just what?" Phantom looked at him, beginning to cry. "_W-why_, Danny? If you don't hate me… then why."

"I…" Danny looked at the Thermos Dan was currently being held in, and his eyes widened in fear that Dan may find a way to escape like Phantom would. Phantom took notice of the fear in his human counterparts eyes and turned to the thermos he was looking at before it dawned to him.

The ghost slowly turned to Danny, trying to speak for a moment, before… "...You think I'm going to turn into Dan… That _we're_ going to turn into Dan." He glanced back at the Thermos, looking a bit haunted himself. "That… that I'd kill half of myself."

"... Well according to Vlad's story… You filled that other half of yourself with Vlad's ghost…" Danny said, looking down. "I don't know… I-I guess that thought ate away at me until it made me think that releasing you might be a better option than risking something like that."

Phantom blinked once. Twice. Then he shook his head, beginning to laugh. Danny blinked, surprised. "Ahahahahahaha! D-Danny… that's… Ahahahaha!" When he finally calmed down, he took a deep breath, looking at his human counterpart with understanding in his eyes. "Why… why did _Dan_ come to be? Why did he even _have_ to replace half of himself with Vlad's ghost?"

Danny blinked, a little confused, before his eyes widened. "... Because Vlad ripped his Phantom out with those Ghost Gauntlets…! B-but I don't see why his Phantom didn't just go back to his human counterpart like you've been trying to do with me all night!"

The ghost counterpart shrugged, sighing. "Well… I'm not sure either… Maybe- maybe that Phantom was too torn up by everyone he cared about dying to think about it. Maybe the gauntlets work differently… But either way…" He poked Danny in the chest, smirking. "It wouldn't have happened if that Danny didn't do… what?"

Danny blinked, still a little shocked. "That he… didn't try to separate his own humanity… from his ghost form… Vlad said his emotions hurt too much that he wanted to get rid of it all." That's when something else dawned to him. "... And because his own Phantom was influenced by those thoughts, he too was too angry and sad to listen to reason!"

Phantom blinked at that, not hearing that bit of Clockwork's explanation. "...Come again?"

"Oh… uh…" Danny blushed, looking away in embarrassment. "Um… nothing important!" He didn't want Phantom to know his own emotions could influence him… Mostly because the ghost would just rub it in his face more about 'being one'.

Phantom just frowned, though, leaning into Danny's field of view. "C'moooon, tell me Danny! We're one and the same- you can tell me anything you already know! If I _wasn't_ separated, I probably _would_ know, so just tell me!"

"I-it's not important, Phantom! Look, there's another question I want to ask you… What… what did you mean when you told me you 'kept our powers and mind in check' before?" Danny asked him, mostly to change the subject, but he _did_ want to know, so it wasn't _completely_ useless information.

Phantom blinked before he slowly shrugged, letting go of his human counterpart. "Well… When you're- _we're_- flying, and using our ghost powers… doesn't it feel effortless now? As if you barely have to think about it?"

"Not at first, no, I had a hard time controlling any of my powers during the first few months after the accident." Danny grumbled, crossing his arms in annoyance. "I assumed the reason why it's not so bad now is because I have better control over my powers."

Phantom nodded, grinning. "Yeah- except _I_ have better control over _our_ powers, Danny. I… help keep control, that's how you can both fly and use an ecto-ray at the same time, or even aim it!"

Danny blinked and blinked again, confused. "... You do realize what you just said is counterintuitive, right?"

"How so?" Phantom asked, surprised by that sudden announcement.

The human explained, shrugging. "You kept telling me that we're one in the same and all, yet you're also telling me _you_ have better control over _our_ powers than _I_ myself do, like we're _not _really the same person at all."

"N-no, no, not at all!" Phantom quickly shook his hands in front of himself, eyes wide. "I-I'm just… saying that I'm like the subconscious! I don't take an active part of it, like you did for the first few months, but when you're doing it without thinking… T-that's me, is all I'm saying! We're the same person- like two halves of a coin, it's still the same coin!"

"Okay… one more question. If I wasn't really a part of you and you really were a ghost before we fused because of the accident, and I gave you the chance of freedom, would you take it?" Danny asked his ghost self seriously.

Phantom blinked before shrugging. "I dunno… Probably not, but… I just don't know the answer to that- I _wasn't_ a ghost before, I don't know _how_ I would react… but right now… I still _do_ want to fuse together…" Then he frowned, looking at Danny curiously. "...Why did you suddenly decide to talk, though? You… you're _terrified_ of me- why suddenly turn and talk?"

Danny sighed before he slowly said, "B-because… I wanted to find something out before I make my choice. Clockwork was the best one I could come to, and he's the one who told me I should talk to you about it, rather than running and fighting you." He turned to the time ghost and was shocked to see they were back in their room, and Clockwork was nowhere to be seen!

The two blinked in shock, saying together, "Wah?! H-how'd we get back in my room so- of course, Time Ghost, duh!" They then smacked their foreheads, before laughing at their synchronized speech.

Danny shook his head before turning his attention back to Phantom, growing serious. "But listen… All this time I wasn't sure if you really were a separate being from me or not, and I wanted to find out before I decide to keep you free… or…" He stopped for a minute, taking a deep breath. "... Fuse back together and continue our lives as a halfa."

Phantom blinked before shaking his head. "Not at all- you made me, I have your personality… And the only reason I _have_ a body is because you forced it on me. I want _our_ body back… so I guess not."

Danny nodded and said with a small chuckle, "Well… I guess I can see your point there." He then stood in front of Phantom and held out his arms. "Fuse back with me whenever you're ready then. It takes both of us to _want _to fuse in order for us to fuse the right way… I think… At least, that's how it works in movies."

Phantom nodded, before reaching out and giving Danny a tight hug. "Thanks… for everything…" he murmured in Danny's ear as he faded back into Danny with a flash of light. When Danny opened his eyes… he was Danny Phantom once more. He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled a bit, nodding to himself. "Yeah… I'm just me. Nobody else…"

Then Jazz knocked on his door, worriedly calling in, "Danny? Are you in there?"

Danny turned and Jazz opened the door, surprised to see him in his ghost form. "A-ah!" She blinked, taking a step back. "...Danny? Or… Phantom?" She frowned a bit, worried, before Danny engulfed her in a hug! "WAH!?"

"Thanks for trying to talk some sense into me Jazz, though I didn't appreciate the slap in the face." Danny said to her, chuckling at her shocked expression. "... Jazz, yes, I'm Danny, the one and _only_ Danny."

His older sister blinked before smiling in relief, hugging him just as tightly. "Oh, I'm glad you're back to your senses- I was so _worried_ about you, we all were!"

"'We'?" Danny blinked, glancing outside, before Tucker and Sam came bursting into his room! On instinct, he turned intangible to avoid two crushing and tackling hugs. "WAH! G-guys!?"

Sam turned and gave him another tackle hug when he was solid again, Tucker quickly joining him. "D-Danny, you moron!" she shouted, hugging him tightly. "_Never_ do that again- we like you whole, got it!? No more splitting yourself up!"

"Yeah, she's right!" Tucker nodded, hugging him just as tightly. "You're my best friend, don't do that to yourself!"

"Oh come on, knock it off you two!" Danny said, pushing them off him. "Was it really that bad? I mean come on, you only had like a brief moment of me split from Phantom this time!"

Sam scowled, thumping his chest. "Of course it was, you dummy! We thought you learned your lesson _last_ time, it _terrified_ us to hear that you did it again!"

"Last time I split my mind in half, not my forms. This time I only split my forms, so my mind was fully intact." Danny explained to them, frowning. "I wanted to know something… something that was eating away at me since the whole time traveling thing."

Tucker blinked, surprised. "You wanted to know something? Why didn't you just ask me? I've got Internet access with this baby!" He held up his PDA proudly, grinning.

Jazz rolled her eyes, elbowing Tucker. "I doubt that the answers he wanted could be found on the _Internet_, no matter what you seem to think about that thing."

Danny chuckled as he nodded. "Yeah… I've been worried about my ghost form. I guess I started to think of my Phantom form as a separate entity instead of just _me_."

Sam's eyes widen as understanding took place in her purple eyes; she knew _she_ would've done the same thing if she thought someone alive or have a mind of its own was stuck inside her. "O-oh… Well then… um… I… guess we can forgive you."

"We can?" Tucker blinked before Sam elbowed him in the gut, _hard_. "OW! I-I mean, we can!" He smiled nervously at Danny as the halfa raised an eyebrow at him.

Jazz nodded and said, ruffling her brother's hair, "Well I'm proud that you came to your senses, little brother. And next time you have this problem, you really should talk to someone before you take drastic measures. Your ghost form really went on a rampage looking for you."

Danny blushed and sheepishly said, "Really? W-whoops…" He scratched the back of his neck. "M-my bad!" The three of them fell to the ground, faceplanting the ground. "... Ah… um… B-but seriously, I'm sorry. I didn't think he'd- _I_ would just lose it like that." He glanced away before yawning and, in a bright flash of light, returning to human. "Ooooh man… I'm _exhausted_- all that running and flying around must've exhausted me! I mean, chasing and running from myself wasn't exactly _easy_!"

The three of them blinked a bit, trying to make sense of that. Eventually, Tucker just shrugged, standing up. "I guess I'll just head home then… See you tomorrow, Danny!"

"Yeah, we'll see you tomorrow." Sam said as she gave him a smile. The two soon left his room and Danny sat on his bed.

Jazz sighed and said, sitting next to him, "To be fair, I think I sort of started this whole mess when I suggested the Ghost Catcher thing."

Danny chuckled a bit, nodding as he grinned at her. "Yeah, you kinda did, Jazz." He yawned again, laying down on his bed. "Well… I better get some sleep before some ghost gets the bright idea to attack in the middle of the night again."

Jazz nodded, giving her brother's forehead a kiss. "Right… G'night, little bro…" She smiled at him, standing up and turning off the lights. "Sweet dreams tonight!" With that, she closed the door, immersing the room in darkness.

Danny lied down into his bed and smiled to himself, faintly nodding. "Yeah… I'm just me… Not Dan, not Phantom… Just _me_." And with that, he closed his eyes and fell into dreamland.

* * *

_**DarkFoxKit:**_** Soooo… how did everyone like the one-shot? You know, assuming anyone really cares enough to read it?**

_**Key2DestNE: **_**They probably enjoyed it, Kitten~ Just as much as they'll probably love you tied up like this! *grins, leaning on the stick she's tied to with a muzzle on her.* At the very least, if **_**they**_** didn't, **_**I**_** did~!**

_**DarkFoxKit:**_** NOBODY ASKED YOU! Stop calling me KITTEN! You and Andy are going to be in a world of pain soon! *looks at the camera* AHEM! Anyway… I don't normally do one-shots, because not a lot of people pay attention to one-shots, that and usually if you update, more people can see your story. But I just HAD to write this one and Key really enjoyed it too.**

_**Key2DestNE: **_**Not to mention I suggested it~ *grins cheekily, leaning on his elbow* It was so much fun to do- especially when we do the outro and intro like this, spontaneously!**

_**DarkFoxKit:**_** The story itself is called Acceptance because it's about Danny being afraid of himself and his ghost powers because of what happened with Dan, and he finally chooses to accept his powers as his own when he realized what he was doing, and that Phantom is **_**not**_** some separate being or voice in his head, no matter what other fanfictions say otherwise.**

_**Key2DestNE: **_**…..Uuuuuh, Fox? *sweatdrops* You more or less gave up the ENTIRETY of the plot… in the outro. Remember Crit? He might read this- and if not him, people LIKE him, who read our ANs first!**

_**DarkFoxKit:**_** Well you people shouldn't read our outros until you finish reading the story, so let that 'spoiler' up there be a lesson to you!**

_**Key2DestNE: **_**...Riiiiiight… *notices Fox is sharpening her claw* U-uh… what are you doing?**

_**DarkFoxKit:**_** Oh nothing much, just trying to show you that this KITTEN has some big CLAWS.**

_**Key2DestNE: **_**… *nervously glances at the rope that's tying her to the stick.* R-right… uh… I'll just… be going now, before you get any bright ideas. We hope you enjoyed the one-shot everybody! If you want us to expand it, maybe have Vlad question his own halfa or something, say something as a review! Until then, bye-bye! *runs off, and as soon as he does, Fox begins to try and cut the rope.***

_**DarkFoxKit:**_** *quickly breaks the rope, stretching* We'll be seeing you guys later~ Ooooh Keeeeey~ *scampers offscreen, tossing the stick at the camera and turning it to static***


End file.
